能源巨人Royal Dutch Shellhas announced a four year pilot project at its乌敏岛Bukom炼油厂在新加坡审判第吉尔tal Twin’ technology. The system, when fully implemented in 2024, is expected to boost productivity while improving reliability and safety. Shell has already implemented a number of digitization technologies that the Digital Twin will run alongside, including 3D printing.
The Digital Twin
The Digital Twin will serve as a complete virtual representation of the refinery and all of its processes, with 3D models aiding visualization. It will allow each physical element on the site to be controlled remotely. With human response times out of the equation, the mechanisms on site will also be able to respond dynamically to changes in conditions in an automated manner.
Shell has stated that it plans to eventually deliver all live plant operation information to its engineers virtually through AR and VR. This may, in time, phase out the need to be on-site altogether – however the company has sought to reassure employees this will not be the case. By 2025, tablets will be used to perform all critical field operations at the Pulau Bukom refinery.
Damian Chan, executive vice-president at the Economic Development Board, states: “We are encouraged that Shell has taken this bold step of piloting the “Digital Twin” solution in Singapore, setting a strong example of how the energy and chemicals sector can adopt technology to move towards Industry 4.0 standards.”
Asia-Pacific’s petrochemical hub
Pulau Bukom Island is a dedicated energy hub in the Asia-Pacific region, with the capacity to process up to 500,000 barrels a day. The site already has an extensive history of piloting technologies such as drones, 3D printing, and AR. Shell alone has 1300 employees stationed at the 59-year-old plant and was the first company to set up a refinery in Singapore.
Naturally, there have been concerns over the automation of certain roles and subsequent redundancies, but Shell has stated that“there is currently no plan to review our manpower needs as a result of the Digital Twin.”
休斯伯戈涅, Shell’s VP of manufacturing for Singapore/Philippines and GM of the Pulau Bukom manufacturing site, adds: “We are committed to making our Singapore sites on Bukom and Jurong Island globally competitive by combining human capabilities with advanced digitalization technologies, to truly transform the ways we work.”
Keeping up in a digital age
在过去的一年中，壳牌组织为140名员工组织了各种黑客马拉松和数字训练营，以提高网站上的数字能力和能力。在接下来的两年中，所有Shell的Bukom员工将接受培训，以运营即将到来的技术，包括管理层，工程师和技术人员。该公司计划从2021年开始投资6000多个培训小时，以推动数字双胞胎转型。
预见了数字双胞胎工业制造公司的潜力西门子has also previously made use of the technology. Last year, the firm introducedSinumerik One，具有能够创建数字双胞胎的软件的数字本机CNC控制器。该控制器旨在使机器制造商能够生成其开发和机器流程的全面虚拟表示。
Elsewhere, in defense, the U.S. Army has recently partnered withWichita State Universitytocreate aUH-60L黑鹰的虚拟3D模型helicopter. By completely disassembling the airframe and components of the helicopter, the researchers have been able to 3D scan each structural part individually to create the digital twin. Once the catalog of components is complete, the Army hopes to 3D print some of the more niche parts that are difficult to source.
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特色图片显示了Shell的Pulau Bukom制造网站。通过壳牌新加坡的照片。
